Find out how to get rid of larvae or moths in your birdseed and if the food is still safe for feeding to birds.
If You See Moths in Your Birdseed, This Is What to Do
How to Get Rid of Moths in Birdseed
“I bought a 40-pound bag of birdseed and then discovered it had tiny moths in it. They started multiplying inside my garage, so a friend suggested I put bay leaves inside the seed container and around my garage. That seemed to help get rid of the moths, but now I’m dealing with larvae crawling out of the container. I squash at least 20 larvae a day. I don’t want to waste birdseed by throwing it away. Is there any way to rid the seed of larvae? asks Birds & Blooms reader Carol Johnson of Perry, New York.
Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “Unless the birdseed is very old, the presence of moths doesn’t necessarily mean it has gone bad. Many of the birds that eat seeds also eagerly eat moths and larvae.”
You need not throw the bag of seed away. “When we discover that our birdseed is infested with moths, we put it in an airtight container and continue feeding it to the birds until that supply is gone; then we wash out the container thoroughly before putting in any new seed supply,” Kenn and Kimberly say. “It’s possible to buy pantry moth traps with pheromones that will attract and trap the adult moths, but we prefer to simply feed them to the birds.”
READ ON: How to store birdseed and keep it fresh
About the Experts
Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman are the official bird experts for Birds & Blooms. They are the creators of the Kaufman Field Guide series and they lead birding trips all over the world.
